As the competition for workers remains strong, many employers are turning to employee benefits as a way to attract new hires. While competitive wages are important, creative and in-demand benefits can often make the difference in hiring quality people. Cities have long used excellent benefits to attract new hires and retain existing staff.

The Seattle Times recently reported on the top five benefits that potential employees are looking for (in addition to competitive pay) to help them decide to hire on or even remain at their current employer. You can read the article here. Many of the benefits discussed are ones that cities are already aware of and should come as no surprise. You can see our highlights below:

1. Opportunity for remote work: What should come as no surprise, the Times highlighted that many job candidates for remote-capable jobs look for the opportunity for hybrid or fully remote work. The pandemic gave many employees a taste and accelerated the pre-existing trend towards more telework. Labor market experts think that increased telework is here to stay. In AWC’s City Conditions Survey, many cities reported that employees appreciated the opportunity to telework and increased employee retention.
2. Flexible scheduling: In a similar vein to remote work, greater flexibility over work schedules is another benefit that many candidates are looking for. According to the article, employees commonly cite lack of schedule flexibility as a reason for leaving a job. Many candidates are looking for jobs that don’t require strict hours and allow employees to schedule work times around daily life when necessary, without reducing the number of actual hours worked.
3. Sustainable workloads and burnout prevention: Allowing employees time to rest and recharge is another benefit current job candidates want. Burnout has been a major issue across much of the economy throughout the pandemic, with more work being piled on fewer people. Many people are changing jobs right now precisely because of burnout at their old job. AWC’s Member Expo included a keynote that discussed the importance of preventing burnout. Burnout prevention is also a common subject at AWC’s annual Labor Relations Institute.
4. Financial well-being for employees: The Times article includes an expanded understanding of what “financial well-being” means for current candidates. While it includes long-term benefits like retirement, it also highlights more immediate ways to help employees save money and take the edge off inflation, like tuition assistance, or elder- or child-care. In terms of educational benefits for employees, cities may be at an advantage since they can play up their employees’ eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness without much additional cost to cities. We last wrote about student loan forgiveness here.
5. Stability and job security: Finally, The Times mentions that job security is going to be an increasingly important factor in recruiting as economic conditions shift in the next year. The article mentions that while employees looked to avoid a so-called “loyalty tax” by job hunting for higher salaries in 2022, if conditions change in 2023 having a track record of stability, strong leadership, and resiliency through hard times will make an employer more attractive to job candidates.

AWC has also recently highlighted some other ideas that cities should consider in their recruiting efforts:

Pay in job postings

While most cities already include salary ranges and a description of benefits in their job announcements, a new state law that took effect on January 1 mandates such compensation information be included in all job postings for every employer with 15 or more employees. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is hosting a webinar series for employers to learn about the specific requirements of the new law. New webinar dates have been added, so look to see if there is one that fits your schedule. L&I’s Equal Pay and Opportunity Act Employer Guide also includes information on the specifics of the new job posting requirements. The department has also released a new administrative policy interpreting the new law.

According to The Seattle Times, a recent survey found that 75% of job candidates were more likely to apply for a job that included salary information than a posting that doesn’t.

Online tools for recruiting

In late 2021, the Office of Financial Management hosted a webinar series on public employer recruiting during the “Great Resignation.” The series included ways employers can use social media tools to get their job postings in front of potential candidates and more efficiently advertise your city’s open positions. You can find our write up on that webinar series here.